In the Nick of Time
by PCGirl
Summary: Complete! Natalie fic. Life after imposter-Cris is hard for the redhead, but could a new man in town help ease the grief a little?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters and locations are property of ABC/Disney—except for Nick Dawson. He's mine, I tell you, MINE! Heheheh ;)

A/N: Hello! Yes, I know—I have another story going on, but this is my own little creation and it's all about Natalie. :) One thing though—because I know in the perfect world John wouldn't have kept a secret from her, Cristian was not Cristian—he was, in fact, an imposter. Everyone enjoy! Until next time—PCGirl.

* * *

Natalie stood behind the bar at Rodi's and concentrated on helping the customers at hand and ignoring the grief she still felt for Cristian. It'd been two weeks since he'd admitted he wasn't her dead husband, but someone who was given plastic surgery and sent here in order to kill Tico and Antonio with Cristian's memories. It had been a week since he was sent to jail for life, a day later the DNA test came back stating what John had felt all along—the man was not Cristian Vega.

She hadn't cried to John this time when Antonio came and gave her the news—she just wept in her brother-in-law's arms and they then went over as a unit to see Carlotta. She actually had only seen John a few times since the whole thing went down—he'd come in to grab some lunch, but either sat in the corner eating it or went right back to the police station to work on something more important.

The one time they had actually talked for more than a minute she told him everything was fine—only if it was. She shook her thoughts away as a new customer came to the bar, "Hi. Can I help you?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Well, hopefully you can help me in two ways. I need to get something quick for lunch and can you tell me where I can find—The Sun Newspaper office?" he asked as he pulled out his notepad and flipped through it quickly.

"I can help you on both parts," she smiled as she noticed his hazel eyes peeking through his sandy blonde hair that was in need for a haircut. "The owner of The Sun is my uncle—Todd Manning. And what would you like for lunch?"

"A cheeseburger would be great—are they good here?"

"The best in town—the works?" she asked as he nodded and she walked away. "So what is my uncle needing your services for?" she asked as she came back from telling the cook.

"My name is Nick Dawson and he called me a few days ago and asked me to come here—said he'd read a few articles of mine and is in the hunt for a new reporter. I figured I could use a change of pace and scenery so I said why not."

"I forgot to tell you—my name is Natalie," she said as she heard the cook holler her name and she went to bring his food out.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Natalie—hopefully I'll get a chance to keep the job and see you around sometime," he said giving her a broad smile before grabbing his to-go bag and walking out of the bar.

"Yeah," she said, giving a heartfelt smile for the first time in weeks.

-

_What was she doing here?_ That was the question that kept running through Natalie's head as she walked off the elevator at The Sun and down the hall. After she had talked to the friendly newcomer to town she couldn't help but think her day had brightened somewhat. And now—here she was coming to see her sister, but somehow hoping she'd run into him.

"Natalie?" called a voice from behind her and she turned to see Jess sticking her head out of her office door.

"Hey—you about to call it a day?" she smiled at her and took note of Jess's reaction to her smile and walked towards the office.

"Yeah—you want to go somewhere?"

"I was thinking we could swing by the diner for a quick bite before heading to the apartment," she said, speaking of the apartment her and Jessica now shared.

"Yeah, but first I have to take someone over to The Banner—you are more than welcome to come with us first though."

"That's fine," said Natalie as she walked into her sister's office and smiled. "Nick—hi."

"Hey," he said, giving her that big smile again.

"Todd couldn't give you a job?"

"He could—I just read through some of his articles and thought them a bit too—uhm, stretched to accept the offer. Jessica here said that there was something opened over at The Banner—we're going over there now so I can talk to the Editor."

"Well, that's very noble of my sister," she said, giving a hearty laugh.

"Your sister?" he grinned at both of them.

"Yep—twins actually," said Natalie as she cocked her head to the side and smiled. "You know what? I'm just going to head over and see Carlotta by myself—I will see you back at home though."

-

Jessica walked into the two bedroom apartment she and Natalie had began to rent a week ago—Natalie hadn't been able to sleep in her old bed since the truth came out, and wanted to get away from Llanfair and constantly reassuring everyone she was ok so she'd found this place to rent. Jessica had talked her into moving in also and splitting the rent.

She put down her bags when she noticed the music coming from the kitchen and went to investigate. She smiled at seeing Natalie putting groceries away, "Who are you and what did you do to my sister?"

"Hmm?" asked Natalie as she looked over to see Jessica standing in the doorway.

"You heard me—I've had to force you to eat food and here you are putting away groceries that you bought yourself. I'm glad to see you've finally turned over a new leaf but this is still a sudden surprise. I thought you getting on with your life would be a more gradual process."

"I did too. I mean I'm still angry at that man—whoever he is, and at myself for trusting him, but today I think I had my first good day—hopefully there will be more to come."

"I hope that too," said Jess as she came over and hugged her sister. "And to celebrate this day let's go out—either to Ultra Violet or Capricorn, your choice."

"I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet, Jess," said Natalie as she pulled out of the hug and grabbed a can out of a bag.

"Nothing big—I promise, now go get ready," she said as she grabbed the can from Natalie as shoved her out of the kitchen.

-

Natalie sighed as she walked into Capricorn with Jessica. Though the second part of her day had been good she was completely on edge about going out at night and trying to act _normal. _What was normal anyways? "I'm going to get a table," she said as she slipped away and found a quite spot in the corner and Jessica went towards the bar to get them some drinks. She had felt fine at Rodi's—and in her own apartment, but she just kept thinking everyone was staring at her—pointing fingers at the poor little thing that couldn't even tell a stranger from her husband.

"How you doing?" asked John as he walked up to the table, his hands in his pockets.

"I'm alright. This is my first time out in public when I'm not working—if you can't tell," she said as she gave a shrug.

"It'll get easier—you can't blame yourself, he had everyone fooled."

"Except you. You saw through him the whole time."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Just when he started acting odd. I did want you to be happy Natalie."

"I know," she said giving a weak smile and looking over to seeing her sister and someone else coming over also making her smile brighten.

"Look who I found," said Jessica as she handed Natalie a drink and Nick took a seat also.

"Jessica said it was ok that I could join you two—unless you have some mushy female stuff to discuss," he said, wrinkling his nose at the thought.

"No," laughed Natalie out loud. "You are more than welcome to join us. John—this is Nick Dawson, hopefully the newest reporter for The Banner."

"Hey," he said giving a half smile-half puzzled look as to why a complete stranger to Natalie made her smile like that. "I'll leave you three alone—take care, Natalie," spoke John quietly as he easily slipped himself out of the trio's earshot and listened to Natalie continue to laugh and smile.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" asked Natalie as they walked into the Angel Square Hotel.

"Sure—I mean you said your mom owns this place so it can't be that bad," said Nick as he took a look around.

"You're thinking of the wrong mother," she said as she reached the desk and yelled, "Rox—you here?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she said as she waved her hands in the air trying to dry her nails quickly. "Hey Natty—who's this little stud muffin?"

Natalie could already tell she was going to be embarrassed beyond words, "This is Nick Dawson—he's new to town and needs a place to stay. You think you can accomplish that without too much difficulty?"

"Sure—I just had Johnny's old room foliated and the sheets are clean too—you know him and his lawyer friend, they do the mattress mambo every time they fight—and they fight a lot," smiled Roxy as she kept looking him up and down.

Natalie shook her head and whispered, "They aren't that bad, and she meant fumigated."

"Thank goodness for small favors," he laughed. "Where is it?"

"I'll show you," said Natalie as she went around and grabbed the key—then leaded the way up the stairs. "You have to excuse Roxy—she's actually my adopted mom and I love her to death—but her vocabulary is one garbled mess and she always mixes up words at least ten times a day," she said as they reached the door. "Room number four—it's all yours."

"Thanks," he smiled as he messed with the key a bit. "Any chance I'll get to see you tomorrow?"

"Jessica and I are having breakfast at the diner—just ask and someone will point you in the right direction."

"Ok—see ya."

"See ya."

* * *

Nick walked down the steps with his briefcase in tow—hoping someone would be down there that could help him but the place was empty.

"Hey Dawson's Creek!" yelled Roxy as she ran around the corner with papers in her hands. "Last night I didn't get a chance to have you fill these out—can you do this now? I have to keep my records in order."

"Sure," he said as he sat down on the couch and began filling them out. After a minute he stopped and saw Roxy still staring down at him, "Is there something else?"

"I was just wanting to tell you that when it came to her childhood my Natty was pretty depraved—never had too many friends growing up. So if you are interested in her don't beat around the bush about it—that's what happened to poor Johnny. Don't wait too long or my Natty will be off with someone before you know it."

"Uhm, thanks," he said as he finished filling out the papers and handing them back. "Can you tell me how to get to the diner?"

"Sure—you just take a left out of here," she said as John walked down the steps and into the lobby. "Hey John—can you show him how to get over to the Diner for me? I'm awful with directions—once I was driving home and made it all the way to Philly before I realized I'd missed my turn back in AC."

John grinned and shook his head, "I'm on my way there already," he said as he walked out the door and actually made a right out of the building. "So I take it you've met Roxy now."

"Yeah, if Natalie hadn't told me about her already I would have thought she forgot to take her medicine."

John laughed loudly, "Natalie once told me it's easier to just shake your head and let her continue the story than to try and correct her." They were soon at the diner and he walked in to see Jessica and Natalie already sitting at a booth. . John just gave a quick smile and went to get a cup of morning coffee before going to the station.

"You chumming it up with the Chief of Detectives?" laughed Natalie as she gave a smile to John then put her attention towards Nick.

"He was getting me out of an awkward situation with your mother," he grinned.

She laughed, "What'd she say?"

"First she called me Dawson's Creek then she told me you had a depraved childhood and was trying to set me up with you before John walked in and saved me," he said as Natalie burst into laughter.

"That's Roxy for you. I need to do some errands before my early shift today. You two have fun at the rival newspapers," said Natalie as she took the last sip of her coffee and left.

* * *

"Why do you have your notepad out?" asked Natalie as she brought her lunch over and sat down with Nick at Rodi's.

"Well, I was hoping to do an interview—if they will agree."

"Who is it?"

"You."

"No. Sorry—no way is my life at all interesting."

"You grew up with Roxy for a mom—it's got to be interesting."

"Fine—as long as I get to do the same for you."

"Fair enough. I guess you get to ask the first question."

"Parents—names and are they married or divorced?"

"Teresa and Joseph. Still happily married. Ok—reason for taking the line of work you are doing now?"

"I'm working here because I needed something to do to keep my mind off of Cristian's death—that's my husband. We were already working over at Crossroads—it's a bar on the edge of town—before he died, and then I just started here. And you?"

"When I was a kid I loved to ask questions—whenever a new friend of my parents came I would sit there and ask them all sorts of questions. And the news—I always read the paper and wanted to know more about the people that went with the captions. You ask the next question."

"Who is one person in your family you look up to?"

"Hmm—I guess my Uncle Mike. He always said 'Follow your goals Nicky—don't quit because life gets tough'. Not that my life has been tough at all—he just didn't want me to quit. He lost use of his legs when he was a teenager and never let that get him down—kept on moving," he said with a slight chuckle at recalling a memory.

"When I was little he'd ask if I wanted to race to the end of the driveway and I always said yes, and I'd jog really slow so he could keep up but he'd stop in the middle of the driveway and yell foul at me for not giving it my all. But when I ran and didn't try to let him when—that's when he was the proudest of me."

"He sounds great. As for me—I guess it's my Uncle Bo. I just really admire him for what he does—and for him being there for me to talk to. He always tells you how it is—never sugar coats it."

"I haven't met him yet, but sounds like I'll like him when I do. Ok, one more and then lunchtime is over for me—what would someone not know about you if they just heard your name in casual conversation for the first time?"

"That's easy. People think because I have the last name Buchannan I have had everything handed to me on a silver platter and that's far from the truth. I've only been a Buchannan for a little over three years—my life before that, well that's what made me who I am today. And you?"

"Trust is a big thing—especially with those I expect to have as frequent sources. I expect them to be as straight as they can with me and I'll be straight with them in my articles. That's why I didn't want to work for your Uncle—he seems like a great guy but I realized that to work for him I'd have to lower my normal standard of writing and that's just something I couldn't see myself doing."

Natalie smiled at him brightly and looked at her watch, "Oh no—I've got a meeting with someone in a few minutes. I'll see you later, Nick."

"Later," he smiled as he watched her rush behind the bar and grab her purse before running out the door.

* * *

Jessica walked into the apartment and could smell something cooking in the kitchen and went towards it. "Hey."

"Hey Jess—how was your day?"

"Fine. I went by Rodi's for lunch and Mac said you were out for the rest of the afternoon. What's up?"

"Oh—that. I was going to wait until dinner to tell you but this as good a time as any—I went by the University to see Mom and tell her my new plan for myself," she said with a smile.

"New plan? Sounds intense."

"I'm going back to school. It's something I've wanted to do for awhile and I know Cristian would want me to go back eventually also. The thing is the semester is almost half over so I'm going to just be sitting in on a few classes this semester—taking notes, participating in class discussions while reviewing also the information from the first half of the semester. I can take the tests they've already taken when I'm ready and if I do good enough on everything then I get credit for the class and don't have to take it in the fall."

"That's great, Natalie," she said, giving her a hug.

"Except for one thing. I'm worried that working full time at Rodi's and trying to complete an entire semester of multiple classes in half the time isn't going to work. I talked to Mac and he said he could put me on part time, but then I'm worried about my half of rent."

"Don't be. I'll take care of the rent—you just take care of getting your life on target."

"I'm not asking for a handout, Jess."

"And I'm not giving you one," she said as she gave her twin a hug. "I love you and I'll help you anyway possible to get you to the next step in your life—ok?"

"Ok," she smiled and then went on finishing dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

Natalie sat in one of the comfy chairs of the student union reading chapters she was making up and taking notes—it felt good taking classes and spending time at the University again.

She jotted down a note and looked up to see her mom walking towards her, "Mom—hi," she said getting up and giving her a hug.

"You looked like you were actually enjoying yourself," smiled Viki.

"I was—I am. It such a renewal of my life to be back in school—I know I've only been taking the class for a few weeks now, but I see where and what I want to do after graduation," she smiled brightly.

"That's great—I'm so proud of you. I have a meeting to go to at the Banner, but I want you and Jessica to come over for dinner tonight, ok?" she asked as Natalie nodded her head.

"Good. Oh, this came for you in the mail yesterday—there's no return address though."

"Hmm, ok," said Natalie as she took the white envelope with her name and address typed out on the front. She opened the letter and froze as she saw the handwriting—it was from the man in Statesville, the one that impersonated Cristian.

She grabbed her cell phone to call Jessica, but both her cell and office lines went to voicemail. She took a deep breath—if she could calm herself down she knew she'd be able to drive over to the station and Antonio would find out why he was allowed to contact her in the first place.

* * *

Natalie walked around the corner and saw John walking towards her as she gave a fake smile, "Is Antonio around?" 

"I think he went out."

"Oh. What about my Uncle Bo?"

"Court. Is everything ok Natalie? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"NO! It's not ok," she said as the tears began to fall and she handed the letter to him. "Why? What could have caused him to send this to me? Why did they allow him to send it?" she said—now in full sobs.

"Hey—hey, it's going to be ok," he said as he pulled her into a hug. "I don't know why they allowed that imposter to send you any mail. Let's go to my office and I'll call Antonio to come get you," he said as he held her by the shoulder and towards his office and had her sit down. "You need some water? How about a tissue?" he said—trying to get a smile out of her.

"No, I—I just want to make sure he never sends me anything again. Please John."

"I will—let me call Antonio," he said as he picked up the phone and watched his office door open to see Nick standing there. "Nick."

"Hey—Oh my god, Natalie—are you ok?" he said as he went to sit next to her.

"Yeah—something I got in the mail upset me and I came here to talk to Antonio but he's not here. John's calling him," she said as she gave him a better smile than she had John.

"Ok—I'll sit here until he gets here though," he said as he had her lean her head on his shoulder and he tried to calm her down. "I can't believe you drove over here like this—you had my cell phone, I would have come to campus and picked you up."

"I—I didn't want to bother you. This is a part of my crazy life—you're going to have to learn that soon enough," she said with a laugh.

"That's fine—I can sit here for as long as you need me. I was coming by to get a statement from John about a case he closed a few days ago but it can wait until Antonio gets here."

* * *

"I just got off the phone with Statesville—they said they are unsure of why that letter was allowed to leave the Prison and they'll make sure it doesn't happen again," said John as he walked into Antonio's office. "They already leave?" 

"Yeah, Nick said he'd come back later today or tomorrow for a statement from you. Natalie seemed to have calmed down a lot by the time he decided to take her home."

"Good. Listen—what do you think of him?"

"Who? Nick? He's a nice guy—he treats Natalie with respect and wants to be the shoulder for her to cry on. Why?"

"I don't know—I just don't want Natalie to get burned by him."

"Burned? You aren't seriously suggesting that Nick's trying to use her for something—are you?"

"It just seems weird—he walks in one day and instantly takes a liking to her. I saw him the first day he came to town and she was smiling bigger than when she thought Cristian was really alive. Sorry—I shouldn't have put it that way."

"It's ok, John. As for Nick—don't worry about him John. From everything I've seen today and in the past there's nothing to worry about. I mean, unless you think he's going to steal her away from you," grinned Antonio as he watched John look around and leave without saying a word.

* * *

"Here you go," said Nick as he came in from the kitchen with a cup of tea in his hands and handed it to Natalie. 

"Thanks," she said as she took it from him and then had a sip. "You don't have to stay—Jess should be home in the next fifteen minutes," spoke Natalie softly and then put the cup down and began walking around straightening the apartment.

Nick watched her for a minute as he saw she was just going through a routine and really had no idea of what she was doing—whatever had happened at the police station now had her in some sort of trance. He walked over to her and moved her towards the couch, "Ok, that's it—I want you to sit."

"No, I don't want to sit and I don't want tea. What I want is," but she didn't finish as she choked on the words.

"Hey—it's none of my business but maybe if you tell me what's going on it'll make you feel better."

"No," she said, her voice again soft and cracking.

She sat there for a minute and recomposed herself before looking at him and seeing he was still watching her. "I'm sorry—like I said, it's a part of my crazy life. I was married to a man in October 2003, we were happy and in love—we weren't married a month and he was killed. This past October a man came into Llanview that looked identical to my husband, we found out the truth in February. Today I received a letter from him—he said—he said in the letter he still thinks about me everyday and loves me.

"How can he say that? I mean I don't know him—he's not my Cristian. The only time I think about him is when I realize I let a complete stranger into my life and bed."

"I'm sorry—I mean I'm glad you told me that, but I'm sorry for everything you've been through. Before today though every time I've seen you you've been strong so maybe you should just file today under not-so-great and tomorrow you can be strong again."

"I can and I will—it just came out of nowhere so it caught me off guard and I don't like being caught off guard by anything or anyone," she said as she finally allowed herself to smile.

"Glad to hear it," he said as the door opened and Jessica walked in.

"Natalie—are you ok?"

"I'm better—this is just one of those not-so-great days," she said as her smile got a little bit bigger than before.

* * *

"Yes, hi. My name is Lt. John McBain with the Llanview Police Department. We have a person here inquiring for a job and I need to get a background check done on him. The name is Nicholas Dawson—," said John as he listed the information he had been able to gather on him since he came to town. "Ok, can you get this back to me within the week? Thank you very much," he said as hung up the phone and stared off into space—maybe Antonio was right, maybe the guy was just a nice regular guy that just happened to take a liking to Natalie from the get go. But this was Natalie he was talking about and when it came to her he never took chances so it would be the best for everyone if he researched her new found friend. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I've realized the reason I'm writing these Jolie/NickNat stories so fast is I'm ready to wash my hands of OLTL. One more and this one is done. Until next time—PCGirl.

* * *

"Any calls for me?" asked John as he walked through the patrol room and on his way to his office.

"No calls, but there was a package sent to you," said the temporary secretary. "I'm going to a late lunch," she called to him and then grabbed her purse.

He shrugged at her comment as he kept moving, walking into his office and seeing the package immediately. He ripped it open and sat on the corner of his desk as he read the report on Nick Dawson.

"Thanks for taking us out for lunch," said Jessica as her, Natalie, and Viki ate at The Palace.

"You are both welcome—how are classes going, Natalie?"

"Great—I took the first test for one of my classes and actually did better than most of the students that have been taking it since the beginning. I'm studying up for the second test now—some of the kids said it was harder than the first so it worries me some."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. I've been meaning to ask you—has Nick said anything about working somewhere else other than The Banner?"

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Well, I had my secretary call to have a background check done—just part of the hiring process—and they said that someone else in Llanview had requested one also for Nick."

"Did they say why it was requested or who requested it?"

"She was told it was for a job also—and she thought they said the Police Station. I thought Nick majored in Journalism."

"He did," she said as she tried to figure out who or why someone at the Police Station would do a background check on Nick.

Her mind clicked immediately on someone that did that—that believed once before he had her best interest at heart but in reality destroyed her world in an instant—and she wasn't going to let him do it again. "You know—I think I'm going to go by Professor Ryder's office before class—I have a question for him," she said as she got up quickly and gave her mother a hug before heading for her car—her temper already rising at the prospect of what was to come.

* * *

When Natalie had gotten in the car she was calm and had planned on quietly asking John if he had done a background check on Nick. But as she kept driving her anger escalated and now she was in an all out assault against him.

She stormed through the doors and was pleased to see the place was nearly empty so hopefully John could have her full attention on the matter at hand. She slowed her step down some as she reached his door and knocked softly, but before he could answer her anger had gotten the best of her and she entered immediately. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Last time I checked I was John McBain—but I can check again if you like," he said with a half smile.

"That's not what I meant. When The Banner went to do a background check on Nick so he could hire him it turns out someone else in Llanview already did one not so long ago."

"And why would I do it? I have nothing against the guy, Natalie."

"Then why did you do it? And don't tell me you didn't because it's something you would do—just like you did the DNA test on that man."

"Ok, you caught me—I did it because I wanted to make sure this guy was good for you."

"I think I can make my own choices John on who is and isn't right for me. I've known him only a few weeks and so far I haven't found any skeletons in his closet—no sneaky business with harvesting organs, no plastic surgery to look like other people, no people that have a fear of commitment and letting go of their dead lovers."

"That's low Natalie."

"You bet it's low—so if there happened to be anything you found in your search that would make me think he's a bad character then keep it to yourself and let me learn from my own mistakes. I've learned from them before and came out on top and I'll do it this time also!" she yelled as she turned and stomped out of the office and ran into Evangeline.

"I don't tell you how to manage your relationship with McBain, but if I were you I would seriously tell him to stop trying to be my savior and leave me the hell alone."

* * *

"Hey—you home? I got a pizza—half pepperoni and half the works," said Nick as he knocked on Natalie's apartment door with his foot and it opened on its own. "Nat? You here?" he asked as he walked into the dark apartment and saw her sitting on the couch. "Hey—what are we doing in the dark?" he asked as he put down the pizza and hit the light.

"Hmm?" she said as she looked from the floor and up to him—a smile wanting to appear on her face. "Let's file today under not-so-good."

"Really? Well, you want to talk about it over a slice of pizza—pizza makes everything better," he laughed as he went into the kitchen and took out some plates. "I didn't buy any beer but if you want some I'll run down to the store real quick."

"That's fine, I think I have a few in the fridge already," she said as she came into the kitchen with him and grabbed two out of the fridge. "Before I say why I had a bad day let me tell you this—I am not the type of person to be snooping into your business—unless you like leave it out in plain sight."

"I don't think there's ever been anything I've done to believe you would do that. Is there?"

"No, not from me at all. You are a great friend and confidant—but it seems that someone else in town believed it was in my best interest to do a background check on you."

"Oh, really? Did they happen to find something out about me that concerns you?"

"No, because I didn't want to know. I figured if there is some deep dark secret you have then you'll tell me. And that's what made me so mad when I realized what he did."

"He?"

Natalie gave a huge sigh, "John. He felt it was his _right _in order for me to be happy for him to go snooping in your past."

"I make you happy?" asked Nick, half out of happiness and half out of shock at what she just said.

"Did I say that out loud?" she laughed.

"Yeah, you did. It's ok, because you make me happy too. That's why I came by with the pizza—your Mom said everything was clear for her to hire me on. Looks like I'm in Llanview to stay for awhile."

"That's great!" she grinned as she gave him a huge hug. "Ok, no more being angry at what John did and no more talking about any extra skeletons in our closet. We're going to eat this pizza you brought and then we're going to go over to Ultra Violet and party. Sound good?"

"Real good."

* * *

"Hey you two," said Rex from behind the bar as Natalie and Nick walked in and over to where he was doing some business. "What can I get you two tonight?"

"Two beers—and make sure I pay for everything tonight—ok, bro?" smiled Natalie as she leaned over and gave him a hug.

"Sounds like a plan. What's the occasion?"

"Good times ahead—right Nick?"

"Right," he said as Rex handed them their beers and they went to a corner to be alone. "Listen, before you said if there was anything you should know about me you'd wait for me to tell you—and I think there is something."

"No, listen—don't let John's stupidness ruin a perfectly good evening."

"I don't think it's anything John could have found through his PI because I didn't even know it until just a minute ago. You are a really great person Natalie—did you know that?"

"Nick," she said softly.

"You are—you are this stubborn, headstrong, gorgeous person who from what I've learned about you has gone through hell. I know this is early in our friendship, but I really think I feel something inside for you, and also—I'm glad you told me what John did—it shows how you want to find out what there is to know about me on your own."

"I—wow Nick. I'm shocked you said this. I think there's definitely something between us that still has to grow some—and I might be a little to blunt to say this now, but I hope it's more than friendship."

"Me too."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So this was going to be the end of the story—buuuuuut—I'm going to add another chapter that's a little bit in the future. It should be ready soon so keep your eyes open. Until next time—PCGirl.

* * *

Natalie walked into the apartment and put her school bag down and took the plastic covered dress into the bedroom—studying would wait, tonight was going to be special. Nick had called her earlier in the day—saying he wanted to take her out to a fancy restaurant north of Llanview that overlooked the River.

As she admired the dress she'd bought her mind went to how far she'd come in just the past few months. She was excelling in her classes towards her degree in Criminology—graduating probably next spring, and Uncle Bo had offered her a spot in the summer internship program—a position she had accepted with trepidation. She didn't want it just because she was his niece but then he told her that both her teachers had nominated her for it also.

Then there was Nick—she smiled as she thought of him, and laid the dress down on the bed gently before going to take a shower. He had walked into her life at the right moment—it was in shambles and she wasn't sure what to do or where to go next, but somehow he walked in and picked it up and for that she was grateful for his friendship.

She wondered if tonight was going to be when their friendship became something more—something that her friendship with John never did. It would kill her if they were only _friends _from now on, but she'd learn to live with it—though she didn't see that actually happening.

* * *

Nick took a deep breath—why _was he nervous? Why had he bought flowers?_ Maybe he should ditch the flowers, but where? He looked around there was nowhere to ditch them. Oh well—he'd thought long and hard about what to buy and had decided on these so this is what she got. He knocked on the door and heard her yell to come in, "Hey—I'm here."

"I'm almost ready," she said as she clasped the necklace on and grabbed her coat to wear. "Is it still raining?" she asked while walking out.

"Yeah it's—," he said as he words got caught in his throat at looking at her.

"What? Is this too fancy?" she asked as she began to feel uncomfortable in it.

"No, it's gorgeous—you're—gorgeous," he smiled as he looked down at the flowers. "Oh—these—I wasn't sure what type of flowers you liked so I bought you these. They're—."

"Peonies," she finished. "I love them—let me put them in water and grab my umbrella and then we can go," she said while going to the kitchen for a vase.

* * *

"You sure I can't help?" yelled Natalie over the roar of the April shower that fell down on both of them. They'd been on their way to dinner when the flat happened.

"I'm fine," he grunted, wondering if her stomach was growling as much as his was at the moment. He tightened the last lug nut and stood up, releasing the jack slowly until the wheel was on the ground. "There, good as new," he said with a laugh.

She laughed at how he looked, the rain plastering his sandy blonde hair to his face, she moved a strand that was covering part of his eyes, "You need a hair cut."

"I guess I do," he said as he took her hand and kissed the palm before speaking softly. "I love you."

"What?" she asked as the rain came down harder and she couldn't hear him.

"I love you!" he yelled and then pulled her into an immediate kiss. They stood there for a minute in the pouring rain kissing before they let go and looked at each other.

Natalie smiled and began laughing, "I love you too—but I think we're a bit wet to go to that restaurant now. How about we go back to my place and dry off then order something?"

"Yeah, sounds good," he smiled as he opened the passenger door for her and then grabbed the stuff to be put in the trunk and then slipped into the driver's seat.

* * *

"Your clothes should be dry soon—does the extra outfit that Antonio left over here fit ok?"

"Yeah," he said as he walked out and saw she was now in a pair of old sweats and a t-shirt, her hair pulled up into a pony tail. "Listen about before—."

She shook her head, her heart falling some that he didn't mean what he'd said, "It's ok. I understand. I mean—friendship is no problem for me."

"Wait? No—hold on," he said as he grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him and then to the couch. "I didn't mean I wanted just friendship. I was going to say that if it was too soon for you, or if you just said those words in the spur of the moment of being completely drenched on the side of the road then I'd understand."

She laughed at herself, "Look at me—jumping to some horrible conclusion that doesn't even exist. Nick, I don't need more time and kissing you back and telling you I loved you—that wasn't spur of the moment."

"Good, then you won't mind this," he said with his hands touching her face and leaning in for a kiss, his hands moved down her shoulders and sides, finding her bare skin underneath—her shivering at his touch for the first time.

This was what she'd been wanting—this is what she'd needed for so long, and she knew—she knew it had came just when she needed it most.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Alright, so this is the end of my Nick-Nat story. I'm going to leave the big goodbye and thank you when I finally finish Good Intentions (but firstI needsome inspiration—and with Jolie, that's hard to come by). Glad you liked the person I picked out for Natalie—and I apologize for the slight redemption I gave John in this story—he needed to get his backbone back a little bit. LOL. Thanks for all the reviews! PCGirl.

* * *

"Try to keep her til six thirty or three games? I'll try and call you later when she leaves," said John to the person on the other end of the phone and went walking into the student center at LU. "Natalie—hey."

"Hey John. What brings you here?" she smiled at seeing him here—the summer internship had been over for two months and she was seeing less of him now with a full and hectic school schedule.

"I had to interview someone but that's done now. How about yourself?"

"I was thinking of studying but don't really feel like it," she shook her head and paused for a moment before speaking. "You want to shoot some pool? We haven't done that in awhile."

"Thought you'd never ask," he grinned as he realized this was going to be a lot easier than planned.

* * *

"Everything with Nick and you going good?" asked John as he took a shot and then looked at his watch—he'd told John three games of pool or six thirty—whichever came first—they were on their second game and it wasn't even a quarter to six yet. 

"Yeah—it's great. What about you and Evangeline?"

"It's—ok," he shrugged—trying to come up with something to say. "I'm going to get a beer—you want anything?"

"I'm fine," she said as she took her next shot and looked up to see Evangeline standing in front of her. "Evangeline—hi."

"What are you doing here Natalie? Don't you have a boyfriend to hang out with now?"

"I do—but John and I decided to play a game of pool after a long day. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked as her voice got defensive.

"Why do you need to play a game of pool with him? He's my boyfriend—not yours. Unless things are shaky with you and Nick now and you're trying to stake claim on my man—_again._"

"Things are just fine with me and Nick," she yelled as she slammed the cue down on the table and grabbed her purse off the nearby table she'd set it at. "Tell John I'm sorry I didn't stay around for the rest of the game."

John had seen her storm out and looked at Evangeline but didn't say anything—instead he grabbed his phone, "Hey—something happened and she's gone."

"What happened?"

"I think Evangeline got jealous and made her storm out. Are things set up enough there or do I need to go after her?"

"I—I think I can manage," he said as he looked around the apartment. "I'll catch her at the car. Thanks for helping though."

"Wish I could have been more help," he sighed as he hung up and went to Evangeline. "What did you say to her?"

"I asked her what she was doing hanging around you. I mean she has a boyfriend and they've played pool before so why wasn't he here? Why was it you she had to play a game with?"

"Because Nick's at their apartment right now setting it for proposing to her tonight. He didn't want to make her suspicious by using Jessica as a decoy so he had me meet her at the college and then play a few games before she went home. And you—you just pissed her off enough to either go straight to the apartment before everything is set up or off somewhere else to take out her frustrations. Hope you're happy with yourself, Evangeline," he yelled and began walking to the door.

"I'm sorry John—I didn't know."

"Well, if you had asked me quietly what was going on I would have told you, but you didn't. These past six months since they've started dating have been good with us, but now—I see the same thing I saw before Nick was around. You are jealous of Natalie and –I can't take it anymore."

"I have a right to be jealous John—whenever I asked you about Natalie before you were prevaricating."

"Prevari-what?"

"Prevaricate—it means to deviate from the truth. Haven't you used it before?"

John rubbed the back of his head as he tried to figure out of that was a real word, "Can't say that I have counselor. And that just proves another thing—we're too different and this whole time—this relationship, whatever it is it's a crazy sham that's gone too far. I think it's time we ended it."

"You can't have Natalie though—I mean you just said you wanted her to be happy with Nick."

"Nick and Natalie's happiness isn't the thing in question—they are happy and I've made sure I've never intruded on them," he said as he left to go find a dark corner and a bottle of whiskey.

* * *

Nick stood at the back of his car tapping his fingers on the trunk waiting for her to probably pull into the complex burning rubber. He looked up at their apartment and wished he'd been given another half hour to make sure everything was set. 

He heard her car before he saw it and tried to hold back the grin—John had said she was pissed and he was right. "Hey—what's wrong?" he asked as he opened her car door.

"Evangeline—she had the nerve to say I was trying to kiss up to John," she said, rolling her eyes and slamming the door.

"The nerve of her," he laughed as he tried to give her a kiss. "I was wondering where you were—I was thinking maybe we'd try to go to that restaurant tonight. They aren't calling for rain for a couple days so I think we're safe," he grinned.

Natalie smiled at him, "I would have wanted to before, but right now—I think I just want to get into an old t-shirt and sweats and watch a movie. Is that ok?"

"It's fine," he said as they made their way to the door and he opened it for her.

"I knew you'd understand," said Natalie as she walked into the apartment and froze at the sight before her—there were candles lit on all the tables and when she looked down she saw there was a walkway of rose petals leading towards the bedroom. "Nick—what is this?"

"Follow and find out," he said as he kissed her neck and made her follow the path. When she got to the bedroom she saw there were vases of roses and peonies everywhere. The sound of the cd player turning on made her turn to see he was behind her on one knee. "Nick."

"Hush. Give me a second. I love you Natalie—and I know this is all probably more than you'd want in a proposal. I felt like I had to give you all this because you've given me a lot already—though I know you'd argue with me about that.

"You make my life easy—knowing I get to come back here everyday and spend the rest of my day and night with you. So what do you say—will you let me spend every night and day with you for the rest of our lives?"

"Yes—I want that too," she smiled as she kneeled down on the floor and kissed him.

* * *

Natalie stopped messing with her wedding dress when she heard the knock on the door and turned, "Who is it?" 

"It's me—John. Is it safe to come in?"

"Yeah," she said as she took a deep breath to see him walk in with his tux on. "My—aren't you the dashing one?" she laughed as she came up and straightened his tie. "So what can I do for you, McBain?"

"Nick wanted me to make sure you didn't have cold feet—and to give you this," he said as he handed her a small box and envelope. "And there's something I wanted to say—if I'm allowed to say it on your wedding day."

"Say whatever you want," she smiled.

"There are two women I've ever truly loved. The first was Caitlyn—and we were so close to the day you and Nick are about to have—the life you are about to have.

"The second woman was you—but I know now it wasn't ever supposed to work out with the two of us. When I see you and Nick together—I see what I had with Caitlyn, and what you had with Cristian from before but better this time," he said with a laugh and grin.

"I—I just wanted to say I'm glad to see you happy and in love again, Vega—it looks good on you," spoke John as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I need to go—I have some more Groomsman duties to perform."

"Thanks—and tell Nick I love him," she said as she wiped away a stray tear and opened the letter Nick had written her.

_Natalie,_

_Hi. I guess John said what he wanted to say already and if you are reading this then I'll see you walk down the aisle shortly. I just wanted to say I love you and thank you for loving me the way you do._

_Nick_

She opened the small box to see a pair of diamond earrings and took the others out and putting the ones from Nick in her place. She was almost done when the door opened and Clint came in.

"It's time, sweetheart,"

"Good," she smiled as she came over and took his arm. It was time—time for her to move on from an old life and old lovers and to the one man now who held her heart and always would—Nick.


End file.
